September has always been one of my favorite months of the year. Something about the golden sunshine in the afternoons and the way the temperatures generally settle into a comfortable zone that’s neither too hot nor too cold has always given me the itch to start new projects. Several of my books began life in the month of September of various years.
In addition to that, some of the best things in my life have happened in September. I published my first book in September five years ago. My husband and I started seeing each other two years ago. We got married a year ago—in fact, we celebrated our first anniversary on Monday. But I suppose the biggest project I’ve ever undertaken came into existence over Labor Day weekend, when I gave birth to our son. (I’m terribly biased, but I think he’s an adorable baby.)
The past couple of weeks have been a blur—literally, I blame sleep deprivation—of nursing and diapers and taking care of this tiny new addition to our family without forgetting to feed myself or my husband or letting the house fall apart around us. The latter part has been challenging, particularly when I’ve been up all night and I feel like a zombie. 😛
Needless to say, writing has taken a backseat for the moment. And not for lack of interest; my characters are waiting frozen in their various scenes for me to get back to them. (Lon, in the fourth The Guardians book, is in a particularly interesting situation.) Not writing since my son was born is making me twitchy; we will find a routine. 😛
On that note, I’m happy to report that July and August were productive months. (Not in terms of blog posts, as you can see, but otherwise, despite being very pregnant, I managed to get a lot written.) Book 4 is over 100,000 words now, and I think it’s at least 2/3 finished. Getting ready to sail into the final third of the story, which should be quite the adventure. Still no title, though. I’d hoped to have it done by now, but I knew that goal was probably too ambitious given my circumstances.
The Stone General hasn’t progressed as much because Book 4 took off like somebody attached a jetpack to it, but it’s coming along. It should prove more cooperative once Book 4 is done, or nearly done.
Everything else is temporarily on hold, although the superhero series has produced a few new scenes, and I’ve been fleshing out the futuristic city in which it takes place. The city is important, because the setting has a major impact on everything that happens in and around it. (More on that at a later date. I’m excited about it; can’t say I’ve ever seen a major series set in this particular spot.)
At any rate, I have one last day to enjoy in September before it’s gone. The only downside to this month is that it means cold weather will follow eventually. I’m not ready for cold weather; I’ll have to trade my flip-flops for shoes and socks, and where’s the fun in that? 😉